T3 - UK (2019-12)

108 T3 DECEMBER 2019

Best of the best

Thanks to its

integrated Zigbee-

compliant smart

home hub, the Plus is

a great smart home

starter. Never pay

the RRP, though:

Amazon discounts

Echos every time

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£139, amazon.co.uk

GOOGLE NEST HUB MAX

A big 10-inch screen,

plus good-quality

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a room, make this

a Google Assistant

device that can really

do anything. There’s

a camera for video

calls, and it’s a smart

home hub.

£219, store.google.com

AMAZON ECHO STUDIO

With support for the

Dolby Atmos and

Sony 360 Reality

Audio – as well as

Alexa, Amazon got

serious about sound

here. Five drivers

give your music

really rich, meaty

audio power.

£189, amazon.co.uk

The Sonos One is a

superb standalone

speaker with

integrated Alexa,

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use it as part of a

stereo pair or in a

multi-room Sonos

audio system.

£199, sonos.com

Hue dominates the

smart lighting sector

for good reason: it’s

a superb system with

the widest range of

bulbs and a simple,

useful app. Rivals

may be cheaper but

they can’t compete

with Hue’s variety.

From £59, philips.co.uk

EUFY LUMOS WHITE

Eufy is just entering

the market, so right

now there’s only a

white bulb out, but

it’s great: simple,

with a polished app

and Alexa support

for smarts. And no

hub needed – just

pay for one and go.

From £16, eufylife.com

IKEA TRÅDFRI

Ikea’s Zigbee-

compatible system

doesn’t have the

range of Hue, but

if you prize control

over colour options

it’s stellar value for

money and has some

great controllers

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From £13, ikea.com

If you fancy a Hue

system but don’t

want to spend so

much, LIFX has

a strong product

range and integrates

with your favourite

personal digital

assistant. Philips still

wins, but only just.

From £19, lifx.com

This cheaper Nest

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much information

on its screen and

doesn’t feel as

premium, but that’s

it. Same algorithm,

same Alexa and

Google Home

compatibility.

£180, nest.com/uk

HIVE HEATING CONTROL

Imagine: British Gas

in ‘exciting’ shocker.

Hive is great: it’s

affordable, works

well, and is part of a

larger smart home

system that includes

bulbs and security

options. This is an

ideal way to jump in.

£179, hivehome.com

Nest made smart

thermostats sexy and

this third-gen model

looks great. It’s

simple to use with

good Google Home

and Amazon Echo

integration, but a

tad pricey, especially

with installation.

£220, nest.com/uk

Tado is very sociable:

it works with 95%

of the systems out

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clever and supports

a wide range of

accessories too.

Price cuts have

made it even

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£99, tado.com

SMART

SPEAKERS

SMART

BULBS

SMART

THERMOSTATS

Find the lowest prices at:
t3.com/bestsmart

Find the lowest prices at:

t3.com/bestbulb

Find the lowest prices at:

t3.com/bestthermostat

AMAZON ECHO PLUS PHILIPS HUE NEST THERMOSTAT E

SONOS ONE LIFX TADO SMART THERMOSTAT

NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT